Apple is doubling down on the future of mixed reality with new features for its Vision Pro headset, placing the power of supercharged tools and technologies in users’ hands.
Widgets are getting a major upgrade, transforming into interactive panels that can be arranged anywhere in your surroundings. They’re not only easy to customize in size and color, but they also offer a sense of depth, giving users a more personal connection with their daily tools like calendars, clocks, music, and even weather updates that mirror local conditions.
A fresh addition allows your favorite photos to practically leap out from the screen. This is thanks to new artificial intelligence that adds realistic depth to two dimensional images, so now you can peek around the edges of a family portrait or landscape as if it were an actual three dimensional scene.
Safari is also stepping into new territory. When browsing certain supported articles, the browser can clear distractions from the view and enrich your reading experience with images that appear to jump from the virtual page.
Apple did not stop there. The digital Personas used for video calls on the Vision Pro now mimic your appearance and movements with uncanny accuracy, right down to subtle details like hair texture and the curve of a side profile. All of this clever rendering gets processed locally and takes just seconds to set up.
New Ways to Explore and Collaborate
Interacting with others inside the Vision Pro world is also getting a lift. VisionOS 26 now lets two people watch a film or jump into a virtual game together, whether for entertainment or professional teamwork. Companies like Dassault Systèmes are tapping into this innovation, giving design teams the ability to view intricate 3D projects together from different locations.
Apple is catering to the workplace in other ways as well. Teams can more easily share headsets while personal preferences and health data are securely saved to your iPhone, making it quicker for any user to step in without fuss.
For those dealing with confidential matters, a “for your eyes only” setting has been introduced, restricting access to sensitive content unless permission is given. Logitech is also joining the ecosystem with a new accessory that allows users to sketch or collaborate in three dimensional space with impressive accuracy.
The language barrier is coming down too. VisionOS 26 now supports conversations and controls in several new languages including French, Japanese, and Spanish, as well as more regional varieties of English.
Apple Vision Pro wearers can now scroll through content with just their gaze. There is even the added convenience of unlocking an iPhone directly while in spatial mode and fielding calls from the headset itself, all as part of Apple’s broader push toward AI tools for developers.
